Eben Etzebeth has been nominated in three categories for the Saru Player of the Year Awards.

The 20-year-old lock has starred for the Stormers, Springboks and now Western Province in what has been a fantastic rookie season. In recognition of his consistent efforts, he has been nominated in the categories for Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Super Rugby Player of the Year.

In the main category of Player of the Year, Etzebeth will be up against Bryan Habana, Keegan Daniel, JP Pietersen and Pat Lambie.

For the first time the public were able to vote in the awards, through a voting process on the Springboks’ Facebook page, alongside the country’s rugby media, who traditionally vote for the winners in some of the categories.

The winners will be announced at Saru’s annual awards ceremony in Cape Town on 1 November.